Chilling apparatus



Sept. 17, 1940. H S 2,215,217

' CHILLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 28. 1939 N n. N 9

F F r Hi I" II J a s I "4 w 2 E N a Fig. 1.

lttorne Patented Sept. 17, 1940 UNITED STATES CHILLING APPARATUS Heinrich Siiss, Berlin-Tegel, Germany, assignor to Rheinmetall-Borsig Aktiengesellschaft Werk Borsig Berlin-Tegel, Berlin-Tegel, Germany Application January 28, 1939, Serial No. 253,425 In Germany February 5, 1938 11 Claims.

5 in a large number of superposed tiers. The mixture of oil and solvent flows through the inner tubes, which are connected to .form 'a continuous conduit by bends arranged alternately at their ends, whilst the cooling means is passed through the annular space between the outer tubes or jackets and the inner tubes.

The cooling means consist of media of, low boiling points, and especially liquefied gases (e. g., NH: or S02), and the operations are usually conducted on the flooding principle. The cooling medium flows from a reservoir (flooder) located above the jacketed tubes, through a down pipe, to the end of the jacket space of the tubes, and is returned-by thermo-siphon action and in 20 the condition of a specifically lighter mixture of liquid and vapourat the other end, to the flooder. There, a separation of the gaseous and liquid portions occurs in known manner, the vaporised cooling medium being drawn oil by a compressor 25 (refrigerating machine) whilst such of the medium as has not yet vaporised is returned directly to-circulation inthe chiller.

A defect of this methodyas hitherto applied to chilling apparatus, consists in that, in the case 80 of substantial structural heights for example, with more than six superposed tiers of jacketed tubes, the hydrostatic pressure of the liquid cooling medium in the lowest rows of tubes considerably retards the evaporation of the cooling as medium, and thus correspondingly reduces the cooling capacity. This defect becomes specially manifest, as a source of trouble, when, for operative reasons, it is necessary to work with cooling media which produce large volumes of 4 vapour, or cooling media of high specific gravity, such as S02. In such cases, the most favourable evaporation and cooling efiects are obtained when the layer of cooling medium is kept as shallow as possible, and the resulting vapour is led away 5 as quickly as possible. Hitherto, in attempting to achieve this result, the cooling medium has been allowed to overflow, like a cascade, from one cooling tube to another, and small vapour spaces have been left at the crown of each tube. Such ap- 50 paratus has the defect of requiring the provision of lateral extensions, with numerous flanged joints which lead to leakage and appreciable loss of refrigeration.

The present invention achieves the object of 55 obtaining, in all the cooling tubes and independently .of the total height of the apparatus, a uniform evaporation of the cooling medium in a shallow layer, by means of a special arrangement of headers serving to accommodate the ends of the cooling tubes .and the bearings of the g scraper shafts.

A typical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, in partial section, of the chilling apparatus as a whole.

Fig. 2 is a partial plan.

- Fig. 3 represents a vertical section through one of the end supporting frames constituted by the beforemen'tioned headers.

The apparatus comprises, as usual, a plurality 16 of superposed tubes 8, 9 surrounded each by a jacket or outer tube I and connected together by bends 2 to form as shown a continuous conduit for the substance to be treated. Scrapers,

rotated by driving mechanism 8, function inside 20' the inner tubes 8, 9.

The cooling medium (such as liquefied S02) enters the apparatus at 4, whilst the vapours o" the cooling medium are drawn oil by way of separators 5 through a pipe 8.

In accordance with theinvention the inner tubes 8, 9 are fitted, at both ends, into super.- imposed headers l2 each provided with lower and upper flanges i0, II. From Fig. 2, it will be evident that the inner tubes 8, 8 extendin 'fluidtight manner through tubular branches I3 of the headers, whilst the outer tubes I are securedwithin the inner ends of the branches l3 as by. welding. Each header i2 is provided internally with a centrally apertured bottom M which curves upwardly round the tubes 8, 9 and merges at about the level of the axes of the tubes into vertical walls I8, thereby affording for the eilluent vapour a wide opening I5 surrounded by a well for the cooling medium which well embraces the portions of the tubes 8, 9 that traverse the branches I3. Said walls l6 project above the desired level of the liquid in the pertaining header i2, and preferably extend as far as the upper edge of the flange ll of the header. In each column of superimposed headers 12, the openings i5 together constitute a continuous shaft which is designated 28 in Fig. 3 and opens at the top into the pertaining separator 5. I

Cooling medium enters the well in the topmost header I2 through a bend i'l integral with the inlet 4, and is guided into the wells of the other headers below by means of overflow tubes II which project above the bottoms ll to such ex-' tent that the inner tubes 8, 9 are always bathed 155,

with cooling medium, right up to the crowns. The overflow tubes l8 in the several headers are offset, in order to prevent the introduced cooling medium from flowing direct into the header next below.

Branches I in the base members of the end frames constituted by the superimposed headers I! serve for the attachment of control, or metering, appliances.

As can be clearly seen from the drawing, the headers I! are superimposed by means of their flanges I0, I l to form a continuous'column devoid of any lateral opening likely to give rise to leakage. In any tier of the tubes, the cooling medium can evaporate uniformly over a large surface. The escaping vapours of the medium can pass, unhindered, from the well spaces l9 into the continuous main shaft 20, from which they are led away, through the separator 5, into the exhaust pipe 6.

A particular advantage of I the described arrangement is that the cooling surfaces extend as far as the ends of the individual tubes and not, as in the existing types of chiller, merely as far as the bearings.

I claim:

1. A header member, for a chilling apparatus having adjacently disposed tubes for the substance to be treated individually surrounded by 'tubular cooling jackets except for their end portions, comprising spaced branches adapted to be traversed by said end portions and to interconnect the ends of the cooling jackets in fluid tight relation, and an internal bottom affording a well for cooling medium including said, branches, said bottom having an aperture with upstand ing walls providing a central vapour escape passage.

2. Aheader member, for a chilling apparatus having adjacently disposed tubes for the substance-to be treated individually surrounded bytubular cooling jackets except for their end portions, comprising spaced branches adapted to be traversed by said end portions and to interconnectthe ends of the cooling jackets in fluid tight relation, upper and lower connecting flanges for mounting said header for supporting said condenser or chiller, and an internal bottom aflording a well for cooling medium including said branches, said bottom having an aperture with upstanding walls providing a central vapour escape passage.

3. A header member, for a chilling apparatus having adjacently disposed tubes for the substance tobe treated individually surrounded by tubular cooling jackets except for their end portions, comprising spaced branches adapted to be traversed by said end portions and to interconnect the ends of the cooling jackets in fluid tight relation,' an internal bottom aifording a well for cooling medium including said branches said bottom having an aperture with upstanding walls providing a central vapour escape passage, and an overflow pipe extending through said bottom.

4. A header member, for a chilling apparatus having adjacently disposed tubes for the substance to be treated individually surrounded by tubular cooling jackets except for their end portions, comprising spaced branches adapted to be traversed by said end portions and to interconnect -the ends of the cooling jackets in fluid tight relation, upper and lower connecting flanges'for mounting said header for supporting said condenser or chiller, an internal bottom affording a well for cooling medium including said branches. said bottom having an aperture with upstanding walls providing a central vapour escape passage, and an overflow pipe extending through said bottom.

5. In a chilling apparatus, particularly for. freeing mineral oils from paraflin, having tiers of adjacently disposed tubes, means connecting the ends of the tubes to form a continuous conduit for the substance to be treated, and tubular cooling jackets individually surrounding the tubes except for end portions thereof, end frames of superimposed header members 'each comprising upper and; lower connecting flanges, spaced branches traversed by the end portions of the tubes of one tier and connecting the ends of their tubular cooling jackets, and an internal bottom affording both a well for cooling medium embracing said end portions of the tubes and a central passage for vapours arising from the cooling medium.

-6. In a, chilling apparatus, particularly for freeing mineral oils from paramn, having tiers of adjacently disposed tubes, means connecting the ends of the tubes to form a continuous conduit for the substance to be treated, and tubular cooling jackets individually surrounding the tubes except for end portions thereof, end frames of superimposed headermembers each comprising upper and lower connecting flanges, spaced branches traversed by the end portions of the tubes of one tier and connecting the ends of their tubular cooling jackets, an' internal bottom afl'ording both a well for cooling medium embracing said end portions of the tubes and a central passagefor vapours arising from the cooling medium, and an overflow pipe extending through said bottom for leading cooling medium to the well of the next lower header member.

'7. A chilling apparatus according to claim 6, the inlets'and outlets of the overflow pipes in 'the successive header members being relatively offset.

8. In a chilling apparatus, particularly for freeing mineral oils from paraflin, having tiers of adjacently disposed tubes, means .connecting the ends of the tubes to form a continuous conduit for the substance to be treated, and tubular cooling jackets individually surrounding the .tubes except for end portions thereof, end frames of superimposed header members each comprising upper and lower connecting flanges, spaced branches traversed by the end portionsof the tubes of one tier and connecting the ends of their tubular cooling jackets, an interior apertured bottom, and walls rising from the aperture in said bottom to constitute a peripheral well embracing said end portions of thetubes with a central passage for removal of vapours arising of the tubes of one tier and connecting the ends of their tubular cooling jackets, an interior apertured bottom, and walls rising from the aperture in said bottom to constitute a peripheral well embracing said end portions of the tubes with a central passage for removal of vapours arising from the cooling medium, said walls rising to the upper flange of the header member.

10. In a chilling apparatus, particularly for freeing mineral oils from paramn; having tiers of adjacently disposed tubes,-means connecting the ends of the tubes to form a continuous conduit for the substance to be treated, and tubular cooling jackets individually surrounding the tubes except for end portions thereof, end frames of superimposed header members each comprising upper and lower connecting flanges, spaced branches traversed by the end portions of the tubes of one tier and connecting the ends of their tubular cooling jackets, an interior apertured bottom, walls rising from the aperture in said bottom to constitute a peripheral well embracing said end portions of the tubes with a central passage for removal of vapours arising from the cooling medium, and an overflow pipe for leading cooling medium from the well to that of the next lowenheader member.

11. A chilling apparatus according to claim 10, the inlets-and outlets of the successive'header members being relatively offset.

HEINRICH stiss. 

